"Also, can't really see how the height of the fuselage above the ground affects fuel efficiency." It doesn't. They wanted to use a larger, more fuel-efficient

"Also, can't really see how the height of the fuselage above the ground affects fuel efficiency." It doesn't. They wanted to use a larger, more fuel-efficient engine but the 737's ground clearance couldn't accomodate it. So they moved the engine forward.